Dipper attachment for dredges.



No. 650,99l. Patented June 5, I900. A. W. ROBINSON.

DIPPER ATTACHMENT FOB DREDGES.

(Application filed Nov. '27, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shut UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFI E.

ARTHUR V. ROBINSON, OF MILWVAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DIPPER ATTACHMENT FOR-IDREDGESQ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,991, dated June 5, 1900. Application filed November 2'7, 1899. Serial 1%. 738,314. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented an Improved Dipper Attachment for Dredges, Steam-Shovels, and the Like Apparatus, whereby the dipper is attached to the handle in such manner and by such instrumentalities that the strains are more effectively resisted and greater strength and rigidity secured with much less weight than in former constructions known to me, of which the following is a specification.

The dipper has usually been connected to the arm or handle by means of two long curved side arms attached to the handle and projecting laterally and forwardly therefrom, which not only have necessarily been very heavy and cumbersome, but also, owing to their lateral projection and the necessary method of their attachment to the handle or arm, caused a severe twisting strain to be applied to the arm in the event of the dipper encountering any considerable resistanceas, for instance, a sunken pile, a rock, snag, or the 1ikewhich frequently resulted in fracture of some part of the apparatus. Also in order to secure these side arms to the end of the handle with proper strength a large number of bolts or other clamping devices had to be employed. In my invention I do away with these side arms entirely, using instead a pair of rudimentary arms, as it were, which, being, in effect, merely a pair of lugs formed upon a plate attached to the end of the handle and integral with it, are exceedingly strong and not liable to be broken off, and I sustain the upper edge of the bucket by certain rods, the strain upon which is, in effect, a tensile strain, the structure being light in weight, yet very strong, and by the peculiar construction and combination of the parts I secure unusual rigidity and strength in both the dipper and its attachment to the arm.

Referring to the drawings hereof, Figure 1 illustrates an elevation of the dipper and coacting parts complete. Fig. 2illustrates an elevation or side view of the dipper and the end of the arm, showing certain of the details of construction. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the dipper detached from the arm and taken from underneath. Fig. 4 is an elevation, likewise taken from underneath, showing certain of the details of attachment of the dipper to the arm. Fig. 5 is a side view of the-plate whereby the dipper is especially attached to the arm. Fig. 6 is a view of the bottom of the plate shown in Fig. 5.

Referring first to Fig 1, A is the boom, which may be of any usual construction. It is provided with sheaves for the guidance of the draft-chains, as usual. B is the bail of the bucket, which may be of usual construction. 0 is the arm or handle for the bucket. D is the bucket.

Referring now to the other figures in conjunction with Fig. 1, E is a plate, cast as shown, having lateral ribs or flanges F F and an end flange G. The end of the arm enters this plate between the side flanges abutting against the end flange G, and it is confined therein by bolts II. (See Fig. 4.) On the forward end of the plate E are two lugs or rudimentary arms I, which are bored transversely to receive a cross-bolt J. K K are plates at the sides of the arm near its end, with which engage'certain braces, hereinafter to be explained.

The bucket has at its rear lower portion a plate L, firmly riveted to it and provided with a flange L, which embraces the lower lapstreak of the bucket, and upon this plate are formed two rearwardly-projecting lugs N N, which fit between the arms or lugs I I on the base-plate in such manner that the cross-bolt J maypass through them all, thus constituting a hinge. At the upper part of the bucket there are two curved plates 0 0, each of which embraces the corner, a part of the side, and a part of the rear of the upper edge of the bucket. They are preferably made T- shapedthat is to say, with a depending part or stem,whereby each may be firmly riveted to 'the side of the bucketand at their upper part, as shown, each is made to embrace the reinforcing-rib which passes around theupper edge of the bucket. A' lateral flange or rib P P forms part of each of these curved plates, whereby support is given to the trunnions Q Q, with which the bail engages. Also at the rear of the corner of the bucket there are cast upon these corner'plates lugs R R, with which braces or stay-rods S S engage, which are attached at their other ends by bolts T T to the plates K before described, and I prefer to make a series of holes U Uin the ends of these stay-rods in order that by passing the bolt T through one or the other of them an adjustment of the dipper relative to its handle or arm may be secured.

The bottom of the dipper is supported upon two curved arms or hinges V V,which, as seen clearly in Fig. 4, are widened out into the form of plates where they rest against the bottom, so as to afford space for a sufficient number of rivets to rigidly attach the same to the bottom. These arms bend upwardly in the rear of the dipper, as shown in Fig. 2, and engage with a cross-bolt XV. (Seen best in Fig. 3.) This bolt XV likewise passes through a pair of lugs Y Y, which are cast integral with and form part of the back plate L.

Z is a latch for holding the bottom of the bucket closed and is provided with any suitable tripping or releasing device.

The operation of the apparatus is obvious and does not require detailed explanation. However, I call attention particularly to the following features: Under my invention the lugs or rudimentary arms I, in combination with the stay-rods S, fulfil all the functions of the heavy, elongated, and curved side arms heretofore used, and my rudimentary arms being short and rigid have great strength, and the strain upon the stay-rods S is no greater than before or with the old form of construction. Also the plate or frame at the lower rear side of the bucket which has the lugs for the hinge, owing to the fact that it has longitudinally-running ribs for sustaining these lugs and because it overlaps the bottom lapstreak of the bucket, constitutes a brace or truss across the back of the bucket, giving it exceeding strength, and is so arranged that the thrust or strain received from the dipperhaudle is transmitted out to the edges or sides of the dipper, whereby their strength aids in resisting anybending, crushing, or distorting action. Also the uppercorner-plates,owing to the fact that they embrace the entire corner, extending down the side and across the back of the bucket, greatly strengthen the same, particularly since the ribs-or projections thereon, caused by the formation of the lugs and trunnions, give remarkable stiffness and rigidity to that part of the bucket, and yet these several features above referred to are so formed that they do not materially add to the weight of the bucket. In fact, buckets made on my plan may be of much less weight than those of the old form and yet have vastly-greater strength. It will be also observed that owing to the support of the bottom by means of elbow-shaped hinges the bottom in falling away from the bucket describes an exceedingly-large circle, so that the entire bottom opens sufiiciently to allow the escape of the contents of the dipper when the separation of the bottom from it is comparatively slight, so that the head room or clearance-space required for the opening of the door or bottom is greatly reduced as compared to buckets of other constructions. Also by reason of the fact that the bottom approaches the bueketin closing at an oblique angle the blow or impact of the same against the bucket is greatly reduced and the effective operation of the latch improved.

I prefer to make the several plates, hinges, &c., above referred to of caststcel and to so dispose the ribs or projections thereon as to constitute these parts, in effect, I-beams or at least structures having the characteristics of I'beams so far as their strain -resisting ability is concerned.

I wish it distinctly understood that the special form of the parts which I have illustrated and described is one form only in which the invention may be constructed and is given merely as an example of one desirable construction. Sometimes I prefer to modify the details-as, for instance, in dippers intended for heavy work I sometimes make the back in one continuous plate with the several lugs which connect with those on the arm and the braces for the upper part of the dipper and the trunnions for engagement with the curved arms which support the bottom all integral with this continuous plate or rigidly attached thereto, as maybe preferred, and in other respects the details shown may be varied without departing from the essentials of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, lugs on the end of the bandle, a plate extending across the rear side of the dipper, having lugs thereon which with those on the arm form a hinge, other lugs at the upper rear edge of the dipper, and braces extending from the lastnamed lugs to the arm, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combinatiomin a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, lugs on the arm, a dipper having upon its rear side connections for the lugs on the dip per-arm, also for the braces for the upper part of the dipper, and also for the arms or hinges which support the bottom, all the said connections being on the rear exterior side of the dipper, for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, a plate on the end of the handle, lugs on the plate, a plate extending across the lower rear side of the dipper having lugs thereon with which those on the first-named plate form a hinge, corner-plates at the upper rear edge of the dipper having lugs thereon, and braces extending from the last-named lugs to the arm, for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, a plate having flanges which embrace the end of the handle, lugs on the plate, a plate extending across the lower rear side of the dipper overlapping the bottom lap-streak thereof and having lugs thereon which with those on the arm-plate form a hinge, and means to confine the upper edge of the dipper in proper position, for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, corner-plates at the upper edge of the dipper embracing the corners thereof and provided with lugs and braces extending from said lugs to the handle, means to connect the same with the handle, and means to confine the lower part of the dipper in proper position, for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, a plate attached to the lower rear side of the dipper and embracing the corners thereof, lugs integral with said plate adapted to form one half of a hinge, coacting lugs on the arm for the other half of the hinge, and another pair of lugs on said plate whereby the bottom of the dipper may be supported, for the purposes set forth.

7. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of an arm or handle, a plate attached to the lower rear side of the dipper and embracing the corners thereof, lugs integral with said plate adapted to form one half of a hinge, coacting lugs on the arm for-the other half of the hinge, another pair of lugs on said plate whereby the bottom of the dipper may be supported, and a dipper-bottom provided with a latch and curved arms or hinges adapted i to engage with said last-named lugs, for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination, in a dredge-dipper, of corner-pieces attached at the upper edge of the dipper and extending along the side and back thereof, provided with lugs for the reception of braces extending to the arm of the dipper, and having also trunnions adapted to engage with the bail thereof, for the purposes set forth.

9. In a dredge-dipper a plate which em braces the sides and end of the arm bolted thereto, another plate extending transversely across the rear of the dipper, lugs on the said plates respectively adapted to form a hinge, a bottom for the dipper supported upon curved arms which are pivoted to the rear thereof above said hinge, for the purposes set forth.

10. In a dredge-dipper a plate which embraces the sides and end of the arm bolted thereto, another plate extending transversely across the rear of the dipper, lugs on the said plates respectively adapted to form a hinge, plates at the upper edge of the dipper embracing the corners thereof, and stay-rods extending from said corner-plates to the arm,- for the purposes set forth.

Signed at South Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, this 17th day of October, A. D. 1899.

ARTHUR W. ROBINSON.

Witnesses J OSEPH G. DAVIES, J. M. MILLMAN. 

